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Stigma ‘used as scapegoats’ WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED Extreme financial hardship is only a part of the difficulties people living in poverty face. Much of the media, many politicians and society more broadly often stigmatise people living in poverty. Such stigma is less commonly recognised than that associated with, for example, ethnicity or mental health. Regardless of its context, stigma is unhelpful, hurtful and damaging. It diminishes people’s self-worth, confidence and esteem. The Commission is appalled at the lack of moral courage of many within public life to stand alongside those who are unfairly caricatured. Members of the Commission have experienced stigma, stereotyping and discrimination because of where they live and how much money they have. One of our Commissioners shared her experience: ‘I’ve seen me fill in application forms and I’ll put down I live in Govan. But I’m then told “No, you don’t put down Govan. Write Glasgow, because if you say Govan, no-one is going to employ you.” They are even saying that at the Job Centre.’ GORBALS People who want to contribute in many positive ways to our society, the great majority of whom are already doing so, are wrongly labelled ‘scroungers’, ‘benefit cheats’ and ‘undeserving.’ They have been frustrated by others assuming they need sympathy. Large numbers been completely unfairly written off as ‘lazy.’ The Commission is clear that we must look beyond the superficiality of the area where someone lives and whether they are in employment or in receipt of welfare benefits. We should see those experiencing poverty as partners in the struggle to overcome injustice rather than as the problem or, even worse, the enemy. The Commission is convinced real change will only occur when our society deliberately values empathy as opposed to judgement. 15
WHAT WE HAVE DONE Drawing on our own experience, the Commission identified ways to raise awareness and challenge the way poverty comes to define people in the eyes of others. We know how people are wrongly perceived, the labels they have to endure and the negativity they encounter. We recognised that all of us have experienced stigma and discrimination in a variety of different ways in our lives. Some of us, although now relatively affluent, experienced poverty in the past. As a Commission we have drawn inspiration from how other prejudices have been addressed and the role the media has played in such campaigns around discrimination on account of mental health, ethnicity, gender and sexuality. We recognise the need for a similar long-term campaign to overcome prejudice against people who experience poverty. WHO WE CHALLENGE We challenge all of us to see beyond the labels that stereotype people and which diminish our society as a whole. We challenge politicians to avoid unfair and prejudicial language against people living in poverty. We challenge organisations tackling poverty to engage more effectively with the media to ensure positive stories are heard. As we have built friendships within the Commission, we have recognised the power of sharing one another’s life experiences. We are putting together a presentation and booklet which shares some of these conversations. We hope that these will encourage others to see people and not labels. Stigma reinforces the idea that those living in poverty are always in need of help. This is both obstructive and untrue. Those experiencing poverty face countless barriers to improving their own situation yet they possess the resilience, determination and capability to do so. GORBALS 16
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